Complications Arise with Brexit

 

    A recent legislation concerning Brexit going through Parliament by Boris Johnson has caused much uproar. Although Brexit was officially agreed upon on January 31^st , 2020, this deal only established some essential elements of government, such as citizen rights and financial settlements. At the time of the agreement, one of the most significant points made was how Northern Ireland would be handled. This treaty eventually became known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, established how trade would operate in Northern Ireland, which allowed for checks and declaration of goods to be regulated in a similar fashion to the EU. However, Boris Johnson introduced legislation that would change and oppose some of the aspects of the Protocol in very specific ways. This new legislation has sparked numerous controversies, revolving around the issue of potentially breaking international law to lose of reputation. High officials in UK have also resigned due to the act, such as secretary to the Government Legal Department, Sir Jonathan Jones.

            What the legislation ultimately forces people to ask is how it will affect the overall Brexit transition. Trade negotiations with the EU are still ongoing, and further complications provided through legislation might make such talks stall out longer than they might have originally. Keep in mind that the UK only has until October 15^th to reach a new trade deal with EU, otherwise there will be no deal at all. This would mean that tariffs and exports would severely suffer in profit for the nation as a whole and doesn’t even begin to discuss the potential issues arising from any trade deals with the United States. To make matters worse, other issues, such as immigration and security, haven’t even been fully and properly discussed yet. Further complicating economic matters only delays the conversation of social matters, potentially jeopardizing the democracy of the nation.   

Credit: European Commission (https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/slides-used-m-barnier-occasion-presentation-commissions-proposal-council-recommendation-directives-negotiation-new-partnership-uk_en)

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-54059946

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-54073836

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/09/uk/boris-johnson-rule-of-law-brexit-intl-gbr/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-54097320

Taiwan Calls for a Democratic Coalition

China has been increasing military activity around Taiwan. This has come as an act of aggression towards the current President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen (leader of the Democratic Progressive Party), to encourage respect for the relationship between the two territories. Based on an agreement made between China and Taiwan in 1992 Taiwan is under the “One China” principle, in which it was agreed upon that Taiwan would not seek its own independence. However, Tsai has rejected this agreement arguing that the system of “one country, two systems” was failing the Taiwanese people in 2019. Support for this idea is shown by the rise of Taiwanese identity independent of Chinese identity where it can be seen that the people are beginning to support this idea. In addition to the reelection of Tsai in 2020, the new generation in Taiwan seems to be pushing for independence and this is only the beginning. 

With the rising threat of China’s authoritarian leadership, Tsai is calling for support from other countries to help her fight for their democracy. She says she would like to maintain peace but needs the support of other countries in order to do so. So far only 15 countries have officially supported Taiwan as its own country independent of China. With the U.S. being Taiwan’s main defense provider there is pressure for them to take a stance. Although there are no formal diplomatic ties between the US and Taiwan, creating that relationship would be a hard stance against China and for democracy. Considering rising tensions between the US and China it will be interesting to see how this plays out and to see if Taiwan can gain the favor of world political figures. 

Credit: CFR Editorial. Source: Election Study Center, National Chengchi University.

Articles:

https://thehill.com/policy/international/china/515435-taiwans-president-calls-for-coalition-of-democracies-to-protect

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-taiwan-security-idUSKBN25Z0IV

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-taiwan-relations?utm_medium=social_share&utm_source=emailfwd#chapter-title-0-5

Voters of Color Settling for Biden

 

 With the 2020 election right around the corner, voters find themselves in a tough place of not knowing who to vote for. Several members of the Democratic Party are struggling with the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, just as much as our current President, Donald Trump. In an NPR interview, three individuals of color highlight their thoughts on our current situation as a nation, and their upcoming plans for the election.

On a scale of 1-10 the interviewees were asked to rate their enthusiasm about voting for Biden. Pastor Carl Day, an African American male, gave a 2-3. Parul Kumar, a student at the University of Chicago, said she was a 1-2, maybe 3 on a good day. Lastly, Adrienne Smith Walker, an African American female in her mid 40s, rated her enthusiasm for Biden a 0. The reasoning behind their given ratings differ but essentially they all feel that the given candidates are not fit for the job. They are concerned about the future of our country in either man's hands. Even with Kamala Harris as Biden's running mate, they feel that this is a push to gain the African American vote not feeling it is authentic or genuine. Pastor Carl Day said that the Biden/Harris campaign "reeks" yet he still leans toward the democratic side for his vote. 

What does our current political situation say about American democracy? If voters are left to settle with the two given candidates, there is an issue with America. Our country was built on freedoms that allowed us to vote for the best possible person, but maybe we don't have the best option right now. The two political parties we currently have differ greatly in political agendas, ideas, and presentation. Because the two parties have very little common ground, voters are left with an extreme decision that could lead to future failure. Perhaps a third party would ease political tension, bring compromise, and meet the needs and wants of the American people. 

Free Image by Tiffany Tertipes

News Article: https://www.npr.org/2020/09/02/908874041/voters-of-color-on-settling-for-biden

Additional Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/07/08/joe-biden-young-black-voters-say-not-excited-candidate/5344135002/

Do Americans care about the environmental issues going on right now in America?

 

Do Americans care about the environmental issues affecting their country right now?           Sammi Perry

    Overall, Americans do support protecting the environment but there are partisan divides on this issue. In a survey last year, they found that 74% of adults want the government to do whatever it takes to help the environment. This was compared with 23%, who said the country doesn’t need to put any more effort into the environment. Democrats lean toward saving the environment more than Republicans do. 

There also has been a big gap in support for environmental issues, that has increased to 38% between Republicans and Democrats. Now, 58% of Republicans say that the government spends too much on the environment that leads to hurting the economy and jobs. Even though 55% of Americans ranked environmental issues as a top policy issue, 76% of Americans believed in strengthening the economy and preventing terrorist attacks. Even only 1 in 5 people actively say they want to make an effort to protect the environment. There is even only 32% of people who say they are bothered by people who don’t recycle. Although, data does show that 46% of people actively try to recycle. There is always a spilt view on enviormental issues between both political parties.Overall, helping save the environment, in my mind, is a top priority because it lacked support in past years. 

News Article: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/20/for-earth-day-heres-how-americans-view-environmental-issues/